Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The prehistoric Croods family live in a particularly dangerous moment in time. Patriarch Grug, his mate Ugga, teenage daughter Eep, son Thunk, and feisty Gran gather food by day and huddle together in a cave at night. When a more evolved caveman named Guy arrives on the scene, Grug is distrustful, but it soon becomes apparent that Guy is correct about the impending destruction of their world.
The Croods is a competent, entertaining family animation with a predictable father-daughter conflict at its core and a familiar 'change is good' message. The prehistoric world is colorful and inventive in its creature designs, and the voice cast (Cage, Stone, Reynolds) deliver solid performances without being particularly memorable. The cinematography benefits from the imaginative world-building with vibrant visuals, but the narrative follows a well-worn road trip/family dysfunction formula. The ending resolves things cleanly but without real surprise. It's enjoyable without being distinctive.